Study on the mechanism and characteristics of vibration isolation and reduction via rubber surface waves

In response to the challenging issue of low-frequency continuous spectrum reduction and isolation of ship equipment vibration， a vibration reduction method based on surface wave energy attenuation is proposed. Taking the rubber-fiberglass composite vibration system as an example， the damping characteristics of rubber surface waves are calculated using the finite element method. The influence of parameters such as thickness， damping coefficient， and Young’s modulus on surface wave attenuation is preliminarily explored. Experimental tests on rubber surface wave attenuation are conducted to validate the effectiveness of the surface wave attenuation method. The results demonstrate that the surface wave effect has a good vibration reduction performance， especially at high frequencies. The surface wave attenuation effect strengthens with increasing medium thickness， but not in a completely positive correlation. Reduction of the medium’s elastic modulus enhances the attenuation effect noticeably. Increasing damping is beneficial for surface wave attenuation. Compared to full-coverage rubber layers， local coverage of rubber layers on top of the isolating foundation provides better vibration reduction benefits.